Thirty eight year old television and film actor Paul Rudd has perhaps not given a breakthrough performance in the sense that he has become a new talent doing the rounds in Hollywood instead his performance in Knocked Up just highlighted his talent that has perhaps in the past gone overlooked.Rudd has had a very successful and varied career moving between television and the big screen and is perhaps best know for his re-occurring role as Mike Hannigan in Friends, who marries Phoebe.While his early film career went well starring in Clueless, Cider House Rules, which earnt Michael Caine an Oscar, and Romeo and Juliet with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes it is perhaps his collaborations with Judd Apatow and Seth Rogan where he has made his name.His first collaboration with writer, producer, director Apatow came in 2004’s Anchorman: The legend of Ron Burgundy starring Will Ferrell.The film follows a team of male San Diego TV station reporters who struggle with the presence of Veronica Corningstone who becomes the first anchorwoman.Their second collaboration was The 40 Year Old Virgin which saw Apatow move from the producer role he had on Anchorman to director and writer, as well as producing with Seth Rogan.

Rudd played the role of Andy Stitzer’s (Steve Carell) co-worker David who is tormented by the memories of a past girlfriend.

Made on a modest $26 million budget The 40 Year Old Virgin was a surprise summer hit in 2005 grossing over $177 million at the global box office kicking off a new genre of movie known as Geek Chic.

But Rudd’s biggest film role came last summer when he landed the part of Pete in another Judd Apatow movie Knocked Up.

Pete is brother in law to Alison Scott who discovers she is pregnant after a drunken one night stand with unemployed Ben Stone.

However Ben and Alison’s sister Debbie, played by Leslie Mann, are having martial problems of their own.

The film was a critical and commercial hit grossing almost $220 million at the box office.

Paul Rudd can currently be seen starring in Over Her Dead Body with Eva Longoria and will next be appearing in I Could Never Be Your Woman with Michelle Pfeiffer and Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw